At its annual public meeting, The College Hill Association elected new members to the board of directors, received reports of accounts for the prior academic year, discussed goals and activities for the upcoming year and interacted with representatives of entities that serve the neighborhood.

The meeting was hosted by Chairwoman Allison Munch Rotolo at Pullman’s Neill Public Library. There she expressed her love for College Hill’s aesthetic value and variety of community members.

“These are the things I love about the neighborhood,” she said.

Three individuals were nominated before and elected during the meeting for positions on the CHA board of directors, and several initiatives were brought to the attention of the board for consideration.

Samantha Kieling, a senior studying political science, was the first of these individuals voted in. She is currently the director of community affairs for ASWSU, and has been involved with the Police Advisory Committee, attended City Council meetings and worked with the Chamber of Commerce. Serving as the vice chair for the board, Kieling is the first student to be elected onto the executive portion of the board.

Stuart Schmidtke, a junior studying communication and broadcast journalism, was the second individual voted for. He is a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, where he has held several positions, and is involved with the Interfraternity Council (IFC).

Beth Waddel, a Pullman citizen since 1977, was the third nominee. She is an active member of the Pullman Commnity Congregational United Church of Christ, earned a Ph.D. in psychology from WSU in 1984, and has practiced psychology at both the University of Idaho and in her private practice. Additionally, she was a member of late President Floyd’s Campus Climate Commission and has been active on several service projects with College Hill.

ASWSU Vice President Kyle Gieger is also an active member on the CHA board.

The activities and goals that took center stage at the meeting were a monument for the city of Pullman and ASWSU’s Give initiative.

Adam Louis and Cody Jones, both senior members of the Alpha Rho Chi fraternity, brought the monument to the attention of association members early in the meeting. Louis said the monument, titled “Redbrick Roads Heritage,” would symbolize the city’s past and values.

Both Louis and Jones came to the meeting with several detailed drafts of what the project may look like, and emphasized that several adjustments will be made in future drafts.

The main goal is to start the construction process during the spring and to finish before Louis and Jones graduate from WSU, Louis said. Additionally, both individuals desire that the monument be placed within the city and in a location that is safe for all residents.

“The last thing we want is a monument with people dying,” Louis said.

Following the proposal, Rotolo introduced Kassi Rolin and Tamera Crooks, both representing ASWSU’s Give committee.

Give’s main goal is to try and get WSU students more involved within their local community; the committee’s slogan is “Give Hope, Give Love, Give Back.”

Both Rolin and Crooks discussed “Adopt a Block,” where students would be broken up into groups of no more than 20, and every group being assigned their own city block to clean up. The cleanup sessions would occur every Sunday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., students having to work at least one hour each session.

Crooks and Rolin continued to discuss task forces, groups that will show up between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Sunday to see if the previous group cleaned up the block efficiently. If the block does not meet satisfactory requirements the first time, the group will be given a warning; a second reprimand will lead to the group’s removal from that block.

ASWSU’s Give wants to see more students participate and get involved within their local community. For more information, email [email protected]

Additional reporting by Lance Lijewski